Sunday, November 23, 2014

Bergamot Respiratory Blend: Underground Alchemy

As a cup of tea is perfectly enjoyed after a good meal, I finished the foodie novelDelicious! and followed it up with The Daily Tea, a magazine for tea enthusiasts. It is a hefty 144 pages of mostly content, akin to a short book rather than your average fashion mag. I read most of it while sipping a tea I received in my Herbal CSA this month. I can feel a cold lumbering its way into my head, and I am determined to halt its prospects. Not only is this blend effective, but the bergamot makes it tasty.I first perused the contributor bios of The Daily Tea: a mix of established tea business people and those who have recently become passionate about sharing their love of the leaf. Reading the bios also brought forth a small sigh. I had contacted the magazine awhile ago inquiring about a writer's position for their online content, but never received a reply. Eventually, I decided to start this blog instead. Hopefully my frequent writing here will improve my craft. Besides, I'm having fun with this :)Back to the magazine! The cover is great: a woman in a gorgeous navy blue dress sitting barefoot in a light-filled stately wooden room, balancing a tea cup and saucer on her finger. Rodney Smith is the photographer, and he is featured in a photo essay and interview. He uses real film and little to no editing, so that lady really is balancing the cup. I love her look of concentration: one side of her mouth is slightly upturned, eyes firmly on the cup, and her other hand has fingers splayed on her lap, keeping her body still. The rest of his photographs within the pages had me gazing awhile. Not quite steampunk, but old-century with a touch of whimsy. Nice hats.(Oh! Typing of hats, I was invited to a tea party hosted by the youngest participants of our homeschooling group. I wore a very fancy hat and was given tea, cucumber sandwiches, and a gluten-free cupcake. The wee hosts were dignified and delightful. The organizer of the party read everyone tea party books without a single princess mentioned!)If you're wondering if you should check out The Daily Tea, I'd say yes. The magazine has short articles about new teas on the market, product reviews, growing your own herbal garden, grinding your own herbs, tea with health, tea for beauty, and tea in food. There was an interesting look at tea sommeliers, yoga with tea, Japanese tea ceremonies in America, and a wedding featuring tea cocktails and gifts. The article "The Teas That Bind" was about introducing tea to kids- very sweet photos.But the bulk of the pages are dedicated to places. Specifically, traveling to where tea is grown and processed: machu picchu, India, China, Japan, Sri Lanka...on and on. Some authors traveled all over the world on tea tours sampling tons of varieties, some just focused on one spot or one kind of tea. There are tea plantations starting in America's east and Hawaii. (My bet is Hawaii will be the most successful.) My husband thought the idea of a Tea Adventure vacation was silly, but who says he has to go with me!?Japan sounded nice. Yeah, those places were described so well, especially the spa in Ureshino. Not that I'll be traveling soon. But if I do, Singapore is my destination (there's a history, story, and promise to that.) I'm not even traveling out of the house this weekend, figuring no one wants my cold for Thanksgiving. Good excuse to read. But I will be well soon with the power of tea!Rise unfettered.Move with intention.Be grand.